Floor expansion joint



09.191934. I SN'YDER HAL 1,977,496

FLOOR EXPANSION JOINT Filed sept. 28. 1951 2 sheets-s119151 1 z2 ZZ@Wsok L. ngex EL WORM* Qxoo.

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Oct. 16,1934. Q L. SNYDE ET AL 1,977,496 l FLOOR EXPANSION JOINT Filed:Sept. 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f of f (5f L37 56 '37 I Patented @etiti, 1934 Unirse, stares largas@ l 1,977,496 rLooa sXPANsIoN .iorN'r'Clifford lL. Snyderand Walter (El.A Webb, Detroit,

Mich., assignors to National Wood Products Ce., Detroit, Mich. Y

Application September 28, 1931, Serial No. 565,64@

' 2 Claims.'` (CL 2li-) This invention relates to certain new and use-1Vful improvements'in floor expansion joints;

The primary object of the invention is to provide a floor constructionembodying expansion joint to compensate for expansion and contrac-y tionof the ooring material so t'nat the boards, strips, blocks or the likeforming the component parts of the floor are maintained in properV edgeiContact. i l0 vide a floor construction of the foregoing character,wherein the expansion joint rnay be either` located adjacent the sidewalls or at the outer edging of the `flooring, or at points`intermediate the outer edges of the flooring,`tlie joint comprisingspring elements of any appropriate character for maintaining lthecomponent parts of the flooring in intimate edge contact. Y

Itis a further object of the invention to provide an expansion jointrfor flooring wherein `a Cover plate is secured along one edgel to aflooring element with its opposite side edge 'freely supported upon theedge of an adjacent'iiooring elementy to ride thereon during expansionandcontraction of the iiooringelements with spring devices disposedbeneatli the cover plate and be" tween adjacent iiooring elements formaintaining proper edge contact of the flooring elements.

With the above and other objects in view that will become'apparent asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:- y y Figure 1 is an edge elevational view of a licoringconstruction with an adjacent wall shown in section, a relatively widemoulding strip overlying the adjacent edge of a ooring element with thelatter spaced from the base board of the wall and with expansion springsbetween the base board and flooring element;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1snowing the coil springs embodied in the expansion joints;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view showing a continuous wavy orcorrugated spring of the ,go-expansion joint;

Figure i is a detail sectional View with flat curved spring elements;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational View of a spring unitcomprised of side bars of angle `formation connected by coil springs;

A further object of this invention is rto pro Figure 6 is atopplan viewof unit shown in Figure 5; l

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 6,snowing the channel bar for# mation of the side strips of the springunit;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective View' showing an expansion jointarranged interme-` diate the opposite edges of a flooring and ern-lbodying a cover plate secured along one edge to a iiooring elementandfreely engaged with an adjacent flooring element; y

Figure 9' is a detail cross-sectional view of the flooring constructionand expansion joint illustrated in Figure 8, showing the normal positionof the flooring elements and cover plate; i0

' Figureli is a detail sectional view, similar to Figure 9, showing' theiiooring elements expanded with the springs of the expansion joint undercompression;

Figure l1 is a detail sectional view, similar to Figure 9,"sl1owing theiiooring elements retracted with the springs of the joints underexpansion;

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view showing a relatively Wide basemoulding strip with depression springs disposed `therebeneatlo. and en-Go gagedwith the edge element of a flooring construction; and A.

Figure 13 is a detail sectional view showing a metallic moulding strip`of angle formation.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings and particularlyto Figuresi and 2, the reference numeral 15 designates the sub-structureof a floor that has side wall beams 16 rising therefrom that are facedby base boards 17. The flooring is illustrated as of the parquet typecomprising flooring elements 13 supported on the sub-structure 15through the medium of a masticy 19 or other suitable material, thelicoring elements 18 at the outer edges of the flooringv being spacedfrom the base board 17 and extend-Y C3 ing under the usual mouldingstrip 20.

To maintain the flooring elements 18 in intimate edge contact, aplurality of coil springs 21 are interposed between the lower end of thebase board 1'7 andV adjacent edge flooring elements, thel coil springs21 being engaged with and suitably secured to abutment strips 22 shownin Figure 2. The nooring elements 18 are freely eXpansible andcontractible, movement thereof being perinitted by the expansion jointcomprising the springs 21 so that warping of the ooring element iseliminated.

Another forni of spring element for the expansion joint is illustratedinFigure 3, the spring 23 A being of the wavy or corrugated type andcontinthe spring uous for the length and breadth of the flooring.

The form of spring element 24 illustrated in Figure 4 is comprised ofsections bent to have the intermediate part 25 thereof engaged with afacing strip 22 and the opposite ends 26 engage with the opposing facingstrip 22.

Another form of spring unit is illustrated in Figures 5 to 7 and iscomprised of a pair of channel irons 27 having their hanged edgesdirected toward each other with a series of coil springs 28 interposedtherebetween and attached at their opposite ends as at 29 to the channelirons.

In the form of expansion joint illustrated in Figures 8 to 11, the sameis located intermediate opposite edges of a flooring construction andern-` bodies a cover plate that may be representative and function as aflooring element. The flooring elements 30 and 31 are spaced from eachother to provide an expansion joint that includes a cover plate 32 thatis secured along one edge as at 83 in a mitered corner 34 of theflooring element 30 to lie flush with the upper surface of the flooringelements 30 and 31, the adjacent upper corner edge of the flooringelement 31 being longitudinally grooved as at 35 for the reception ofthe free edge of the cover plate 32 that is undercut or beveled as at32dr to provide an easy riding contact between the cover plates andflooring element 31. A plurality` of coil springs 36, each have a blockmounting 37 at opposite ends that are suitably secured to adjacent edgesYof the ooringelements 30 and 31 as illustrated. The normal position ofthe ilooring elements 30 and 3l and the cover plates 32 are illustratedin Figure 9, the cover plates spanning the expansion joint space betweenthe flooring elements to provide an uninterrupted floor surface. UponeX- pansion of the flooring elements, the same move toward each other,resulting in compression of vthe springs 36 while theiree edge of thecover plate 32 moves into the recess Vedge 35 vof the ooring element 31to assume the position shown in Figure 10, while upon contraction of theflooring elements, the latter are separated as illustrated in Figure l1while the cover plate 32 remains in spanning relation to the expansionjoint.

In the form of expansion joint illustrated in Figure 12, the mouldingstrip 20a is comparatively Wide with an edge of the ooring element 38extending thereunder. The lower end of the Wall 17d is pocketed as at 39and coil springs 40 are disposed in said pocket for engagement with theflooring element 38.

In lieu of the moulding strip, an angle iron strip as illustrated inFigure 13 may be employed, the horizontal portion 40 of the anglestripoverlying the adjacent Yedge of the flooring element 41 while thevertical angle end 42 of the angle strip is secured as at 43 to the Wall44. The expansion joint spring 45 is interposed between the wall 44 andadjacent edge of the flooring element 41.

In each form of the invention, the flooring elements are laid in amanner to permit expansion and contraction movements thereof and edgecontacts of the flooring elements are maintained by expansion jointsassociated with the ooring construction. In the forms of the inventionillustrated in Figures l to 4, l2 and 13, the expansion joints tocompensate for expansion and contraction of the flooring elements arelocated at the outer edge of the ooring construction, While in Figures 8to ll, the expansion joint may be disposed at any point intermediate theedges of the iooring structure with the cover plate 32 overlying theopen space aiording the expansion joint.

While there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments ofthe invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

1. In a floor construction, ooring elements laid with a space betweenchosen adjacent elements,

the `upper sides of the adjacent elements being rabbeted at the spacededges thereof,r a coverr plate for the space between the flooringelements secured in one of the rabbeted edges with its opposite sideoverlapping the other adjacent flooring element and slidable in therabbeted portion thereof and spring elements in the space betweenadjacent spaced flooring elements including a spring assembly havingstrip plates an-l chored to the opposed side edges of the flooringelements and expansion springs interposed between and secured to thestrip plates.

2. In a floor construction, flooring elements laid with a space betweenchosen adjacent elements, the upper sides of the adjacent elements beingrabbeted at the spaced edges thereof, a cover plate for .the spacebetween the flooring elements secured in one of the rabbeted edges withits opposite side overlapping the other adjacent floor-l ing element andslidable in the rabbeted portion thereof and spring elements in thespace between adjacent spaced flooring ,eiements including a springassembly having strip plates anchored to the opposed side edges of theooring elements and expansion springs interposed between and.

